"She is getting too close!" The king stomped around the throne room. "This is going to take an expert…" He focused into an orb, and barked orders at a goblin in the junkyard

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The junkyard sprawled out in front of them, a maze in itself. All sorts of discarded things were piled up into the air, some balanced so precariously only magic could possibly be keeping them up.

Some of the items seemed to be various and sundry garbage from the Goblin City, but a majority of it looked like children's toys, books and movies.

"Look at all of this stuff!" Cat was full of awe as she looked around. There were toys discarded that she had only dreamed of having as a child.

"Remnants of childhood as its shed for adult hood." Sir Didymous explained.

"My stuff might be here too then?"

"Only if ye gave up on childhood completely." Hoggle added.

"Hmmm…" Cat's curiousity was getting the best of her, and if she had unlimited time, she would have made a point of searching out her past.

"Don' go getting' any idears. It's easy ta git lost here." Hoggle advised.

"Yes, its best to stick together." Didymous agreed.

"Junk bad." Ludo said, matter of factly as Chew and Creature were sniffing frantically, and they began to bark, running off from the group.

"Stop!" Cat called, chasing after them.

"Milady!"

"I can't lose them!" She called back over her shoulder as she ran. She finally caught up with the dogs as they sniffed around a large junk pile. One that looked like it had a door.

Cat began to climb the pile of rubble and junk leading up to the door, following after Chew and Creature. They began to whine and scratch at the door.

"Watch where your stepping, missy!" Catherine jumped, looking around for the source of the voice. "I said git offa my back!"

Catherine noticed the ground beneath her feet appeared to be moving. She lept higher upon the junk pile, and the ground that was moving now was standing up right, strapped to the back of a hag that looked like a shriveled prune.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Cat looked at the strange woman. "You're a goblin?"

"And your point is?"

"I've just never had the chance to meet one yet." Cat shrugged. "Can you show me where the gate to the city is?" Cat asked, getting a little uncomfortable from the silent scrutiny of the old goblin woman. The dogs kept whining, scratching at the door.

"After I show you something much better." Her voice was shrill, and she walked up to the door in the junk. "Come on ,missy." Cat walked up next to her and the shriveled goblin swung the door open.

"I'm… Home." Catherine whispered, the dogs yipping happily as they dashed into the house, running up and down the livingroom and kitchen. Cat took a deep breath in, reveling in the semll of apple cinnamon and stale cannibas. She ran to the batheroom, doing some business and flushing before the wrinkled old woman walked in.

"It's good to be home, ain't it, missy?"

Cat nodded, smiling into the mirror as she touched up her makeup. The old woman hobbled out and came back in, carrying her red leather book. "Here's a book for ya. Readin' is good for the mind." She handed it to Cat, left, and came back. "Slippers keep your feet warm, and your favorite hat, and the pillow you can't sleep without-" The old woman piled the things on Cat's back as she named them. "Here's Chewies toy and your favorite heels. And some lipstick. Get nice and pretty for when your hubby comes home."

Cat's eyes widened. "Rusty?"

"He's on his way right now, missy!"

The dogs were barking madly, and Cat rushed past the old woman into the living room. "Daddy is coming home, boys!" She scooped up her dogs, spinning and dancing in excitement. "Daddy is on his way! I missed him so much. Daddy is-" Cat cut off, remembering something from a long time ago, in another world. "Dead." She set the dogs down and walked back to the woman. "How dare you?!" She grabbed a stiletto and began smashing things in the façade of her home. Plywood and stucko fell from the walls and the floor began to rumble as she picked the dogs backed up. The back wall fell off and she rushed out as the imposter of her home crumbled in on itself behind her.

She sobbed, holding her dogs close as she broke down for a moment. It was like he had died all over again, she felt like she did when she first found out about the accident.

"I'm sorry, babies." She sobbed into her dogs' coats. "Daddy isn't coming home. Ever." She could almost smell him, the house had been exactly as it was when it had all happened, and she gave in to her emotions, unable to move from that spot as her dogs whimpered in her arms.